Greenland 2004

432 viewsView from the helicopter near the coast by Jakobshavn glacier, where the ice becomes very choppy.
Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

478 viewsA close-up from the helicopter of the choppy ice near the coast by Jakobshavn glacier. These patterns were almost as deep as a one-story house, I would guess.
Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

475 viewsWe land the helicopter on the ice sheet near the coast by Jakobshavn glacier. The Danish pilot, Karl, is shown tip-toeing over to where we are. There are deep crevasses here to avoid stepping into, some of them possibly hidden under the snow. Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

240 viewsThe automatic weather station (AWS) near the coast that we are going to cut down since it has been so difficult to reach by ski-doo over the past few years. Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

241 viewsAfter taking down the station in the previous photo, we fly back to Swiss Camp. This is a view from the helicopter of camp. Really shows how camp is just a small speck out on the vast Greenland ice sheet. Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

251 viewsView of Swiss Camp from the helicopter.
Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

241 viewsView of Swiss Camp from the helicopter.
Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

241 viewsView of Swiss Camp from the helicopter.
Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

255 viewsA leaning weather station that has slowly started to melt out of the ice in recent years. We have snow-mobiled here (a one-hour trip) to steam-drill a new 6-meter (20-foot) hole and secure the station into it. Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

254 viewsKoni using the steam drill to make a new hole for the leaning weather station. Sitting above the pit in purple is Elizabeth (Betsy) Kolbert from The New Yorker magazine, who came out for a week to experience research in Greenland and to interview Koni for a three-piece article called, "The Climate of Man". Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

252 viewsAnother view of us working on this weather station. Nic is making measurements of the snow at the left, Koni is steam-drilling, and Betsy Kolbert is observing.
Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

258 viewsAnother view of Nic making measurements in the snow (temperature and density profiles) and Koni steam-drilling. The wooden box contains batteries that run the instruments on the weather station.
Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.